Reject Me Not
by Cheshire Pandacat
Summary: For a prompt: TYL!69/TYE!27- "I want a list of atrocities done in your name." One-shot. 6927.


A/Ns: For a prompt from gestahlt on tumblr: TYL!69/TYE!27- "I want a list of atrocities done in your name."

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Reject Me Not

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_We're going home. At last, finally, we can go home._

That warm and glowing thought was at the forefront of Tsuna's mind as he began drifting back towards consciousness. The memories trickled back next – fighting the real Six Funeral Wreaths, Primo restoring the Vongola Rings, Yuni's death, Tsuna's final victory over Byakuran, the return of the Arcobaleno, learning they could go home, and, and…

…his exhaustion finally catching up with him, keeling over in a dead faint, the vague awareness of arms reaching for him before the blurry world went black.

Physical sensations began to return. His whole body ached and throbbed, too sore and heavy to move. His head rested against what felt like a shoulder – someone was carrying him.

Groaning, Tsuna forced his eyes to open. They fluttered for a moment before holding steady, and he found himself staring blearily up at Mukuro. Tsuna squeaked.

Heterochromatic eyes ticked down to him, and the man gave him his usual enigmatic smile, though for some reason there seemed to be more bite in it than usual.

"Awake at last, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro murmured.

"Wh… where…?" Tsuna managed, trying to turn his head, but the slightest motion sparked a knife-sharp, vicious headache stabbing at him as the world began to spin. He whimpered, head falling back against Mukuro's shoulder.

"We're still in the forest," Mukuro replied mildly. "We've perhaps another hour to go before we make it back to your base. Injured children make for very slow progress."

Making another attempt at turning his head, Tsuna was finally able to look around. A ways ahead, Yamamoto was supporting Gokudera, and a limping Ryohei had Lambo in his arms. Tazaru and Nosaru were helping Lal and Shoichi, respectively. Kyoko and Haru were flanking Chrome, the Arcobaleno all ranged ahead of them, apparently talking amongst themselves. And bickering a little, as Reborn and Colonello both made threatening motions towards Skull, who squawked indignantly. Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. were hovering nearby, just out of immediate earshot. Tsuna couldn't see anyone else.

"Hibari Kyouya went on ahead, and I believe Bucking Horse Dino went to keep an eye on him," Mukuro said, as if anticipating what Tsuna wanted to ask. "The Varia left as well. I sent Fran along with them."

"Oh," was all Tsuna could think to say, tipping his head back to rest on Mukuro's shoulder again, too tired to keep it up any longer. "Thanks, Mukuro…" he mumbled sleepily, barely registering Mukuro's startled – and annoyed? – expression before his eyes closed again, too heavy to keep open.

Tsuna drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point he thought he heard Gokudera snap something, a response from Mukuro that was irritation cloaked in amusement, and a flat interjection from Reborn that silenced them both.

He woke fully to Mukuro's voice saying, " – it's fine. Ken, Chikusa, M.M., go on ahead. I'll join you shortly."

There was the sound of a door opening and closing, cutting off all background noise. Mukuro walked a few more steps, and began to lower Tsuna.

"Nnnwha?" Tsuna groaned as he was placed on – a bed? He forced his eyes open, and then squirmed, flushing; Mukuro's face was entirely too close to his.

"We're back at the Vongola base," Mukuro said, lips twitching upwards. "It's late. My understanding is that arrangements are being made for you all to return to the past tomorrow, once you've had the chance to rest and recover." Straightening, Mukuro flicked his hair out of his face, then turned as if to leave.

Tsuna struggled to sit up. "Wait!" When Mukuro looked back at him, Tsuna flushed a little but pressed on, "I just wanted to say, um, well… thanks, Mukuro."

Mukuro tilted his head, cool eyes above a tight smile. "For what?"

Tsuna blinked. Something about Mukuro seemed… off. "For helping us fight Byakuran," he said. "And, uh, I guess for carrying me," he added in a quick mumble, blushing. Being carried in general was embarrassing, but somehow the fact that Mukuro had been the one carrying him made it worse.

"To be lumped in with the mafia and thanked by one in the same day is a little vexing," Mukuro said with a cheery tone that rang falser than usual as he closed his eyes and turned away again.

"What's wrong?" Tsuna blurted. Mukuro had just gotten out of the Vindice prison so he supposed that could be the cause of the weird vibes he was getting, but somehow the Mist guardian seemed… edgy.

Mukuro paused, and slashed a glance back over his shoulder that made Tsuna flinch.

There was a moment of silence when neither of them moved, and then Mukuro walked back over to Tsuna and – to Tsuna's startlement – sat on the bed, close enough to loom over him. Tsuna found himself caught by the glittering intensity in Mukuro's gaze, shivering a little at the hint of malice he saw there.

When Mukuro raised a hand, Tsuna wanted to draw back, but forced himself not to move, feeling that somehow doing so would be tantamount to rejection. And for some reason, rejecting Mukuro was something he never, ever wanted to do.

Maybe it was because a part of him knew that one act of rejection would be enough to destroy the fragile bud of friendship he hoped he wasn't imagining existed between them.

So even though Tsuna's heart raced and his stomach twisted nervously, he didn't so much as twitch when Mukuro cupped his face.

"I should take your body here and now," Mukuro murmured, the look in his eyes making Tsuna even more uneasy than his words did. His thumb idly caressed Tsuna's cheek. "If I could show you a list of atrocities done in your name, you might even let me." A bitter chuckle. "You might even _thank _me."

Tsuna just maintained eye contact and waited. He wanted to know what Mukuro meant by that and at the same time he _really really didn't,_ but he wasn't afraid despite the threat half-concealed in the words. He found the fact that Mukuro said things like that upsetting, but he wasn't worried that Mukuro would actually do anything. Even though Reborn had told him a dozen times not to, Tsuna trusted Mukuro, and not for one moment did he believe he might be wrong to do so.

Mukuro seemed to be searching his eyes, though Tsuna wasn't sure what he was looking for.

Then Mukuro bent forward, brushing his lips against Tsuna's.

Tsuna's eyes flew wide and he began to sweat, and it took all his strength not to jerk back and push Mukuro away. He didn't understand most of the emotional undercurrents he was picking up at all, and what he could interpret terrified him. It was almost as if Mukuro were feeling… fragile, vulnerable, like something was about to break, and kissing Tsuna was some kind of desperate attempt to redirect those feelings and regain control, while at the same time testing to see whether or not Tsuna _would _push him away.

And while Tsuna really wanted this kiss to stop _right now _– why was he losing his first kiss to a _guy?!_ To _MUKURO?!_ – even more than that, he wanted to help Mukuro, because something was really, really wrong, and he didn't know what to do. All he could think of was to depend on his intuition, and his intuition was warning him not to move, not to pull away no matter what.

Because if he did, that would shatter what little progress towards recovery Mukuro had made, and then he probably _would _take Tsuna's body. The only reason he could trust Mukuro was because he _did _trust Mukuro, and though he'd never admit it, Mukuro valued that unconditional trust more than even his goals.

Mukuro deepened the kiss, and there was an edge to it now. Even though he was shaking, Tsuna let him – and, prompted by the instincts he was learning to trust more and more, he lifted one hand and tentatively gripped the front of Mukuro's shirt. Not to pull him closer, which Tsuna did not want to do, but to keep him from backing away.

Tsuna heard Mukuro's breath hitch. Then, the man's lips shifted from Tsuna's mouth to his cheek, a much more acceptable (if still somewhat intrusive and unnerving) place for them. In response, Tsuna placed his free hand on Mukuro's shoulder, and then moved the other to the nape of Mukuro's neck, fingers stroking dark hair soothingly.

After an extended moment of silence, Tsuna ventured tentatively, "Mukuro…?"

"Mm?"

"Are you okay?"

Mukuro didn't answer.

For a few minutes, they just sat like that. The only sounds Tsuna could hear were Mukuro's breaths against his cheek and the nervous pounding of his own heart.

Then Mukuro pressed his lips to Tsuna's forehead. Gently, he took Tsuna's wrists and moved his hands away. He stood, head turned so Tsuna couldn't see his eyes.

Mukuro's fingers brushed against Tsuna's cheek one last time, and then he quietly left the room.

Tsuna watched him go, and then stared at his hands. His cheeks felt like they were on fire, and his heart was still racing. His stomach twisted with anxiety and suppressed panic.

But he felt like some kind of disaster had been averted, like Mukuro trusted him a little more, and as far as Tsuna was concerned, that was worth the price.


End file.
